Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.

Sound the shofar! Call the people to repentance, for it is the beginning of a new year. After ten days of penitence, we will observe Yom Kippur. From Jonas’ journal entry this week:

“Yom Kippur is the atonement holiday. The high priest put his hand on the goat, gave it the sins, and it ran away for a symbol of forgiveness.”

This week, our studies revolved around the year which the Children of Israel spent at Mount Sinai before they began wandering in the wilderness. Jonas memorized the Ten Commandments (thanks to an abridged version which fits to the tune of “Jingle Bells”) and we practiced writing our numerals in Hebrew. Thanks to the wonders of the Internet, we listed to real Jewish cantors sing blessings and prayers and we heard the sound of a real shofar.

We learned about the way ancient Israelites observed the Sabbath and took a quick overview of the many Levitical laws that governed their lives. We also talked about the divine instructions which were given through Moses for the building of the Tabernacle, and Jonas drew a map of the Tabernacle to include in his notebook.

My Tapestry curriculum makes a point to not ‘jump ahead’ of the young student at this point. It was SO hard for me not to dive into the ways that Jesus is revealed in the holy days. I had to zip my lip when we talked about the Holy of Holies, and how the high priest was only allowed to enter once per year — but I know that the veil was torn, Praise God, so that I no longer need the intercession of priest or a yearly scapegoat; I know that I can approach the throne of grace with confidence. I have so much appreciation for the beauty of the symbolism that is woven throughout the Old Testament! I love the ‘tapestry’ that God has woven together for us, His people, to see and touch and taste. But, the curriculum points out, these early years are marked by a difficulty in making those kinds of symbolic connections. For the 1st-3rd grader, the emphasis is on lots of hands-on projects and experiences so that the child grasps the historical events we’re discussing. I can – and do! – point out God’s grace to Jonas, with thanksgiving that we don’t have to wait for the Day of Atonement to ask for our forgiveness. But I’m trying to be patient, because I believe in this methodology. In a few years’ time, I think Jonas will see some of those connections for himself. And the others, I’ll be able to point out, because he will have a solid foundation (of concrete experiences) to draw on.

Let rise – then punch down! Which is great fun if you’re a young karate student – and let rise again.

Then comes the braiding.

Finish with an egg wash and a sprinkle of poppy seeds… then bake for 30-40 minutes.

At dinnertime, we set the table with fine china; I lit two candles and recited a special Hebrew blessing. We broke bread together and had a wonderful meal (spaghetti and meatballs, if you’re curious).

Jonas, being Jonas, decided to point out to Chris that Jewish people actually don’t work on Shabbat. So it’s a good thing you’re not Jewish, Daddy, because you work on the Sabbath all the time! And on that bombshell, another week was wrapped.

Sometimes, doing school with siblings is the most challenging part of homeschool. Other times, it’s one of the most precious, heartwarming parts of homeschool. This… was a good day. (And ack, sorry about the video quality, I took it on my phone and had no idea it would be so grainy when uploaded!)

If you want to be a grump, that’s okay;But go and be a grump a little further away!It’s not that I don’t love you, ‘Cause you know I do!Sometimes I’m grumpy, too.

Here’s a snippet of my day. Susannah was trying to cut with scissors, and it was hard, so she was pretty grumpy. Jonas doesn’t like to see her grumpy, so he tried to cheer her up. There’s a little bit of Beatles, some knock-knock jokes, and everything eventually dissolves into potty humor. (The “everybody clap” song is from The Wiggles.) We finally get to see Susannah smile again, and all is right with the world.

(Until a few hours later, when I was cooking dinner and took a call. While I spoke to my father-in-law, Susannah stole an egg, took it to her room to “cook” in her play kitchen, and cracked the egg on her head. It splashed all over her, into a few of her play dishes, and on her carpet. She told me she licked the yellow part and “crucked” all the shell pieces. Indeed.)

I hope the video turns out okay, because this afternoon Jonas came to me with his Build-A-Bear guitar in one hand and asked me to make him a “sign with the words” so he could have worship in his room. Susannah and I were invited to attend, which we did, as soon as I finished writing his lyrics.

After this video clip, we had “time to shake the hands,” “giving the offering,” and then a special guest preacher: Granddaddy! (Which turned out to be my part, but Jonas wanted me to speak in a deep voice.)

Finally (after a few days with a placeholder about not uploading video through the iPhone)… you patient readers get to see Susannah’s singing debut… It’s so adorable. She does a muddled version of the alphabet song and, though she leaves out a few words, a recognizable “Bible, the Best Book.”

The lyrics are supposed to be “Bible, Bible; the best book! Thank you God, Thank you for our Bible.”

This house is all singing, all the time! In fact, when I had the videocamera out this morning to record Susannah, Jonas decided to make a music video too. He got a plastic dinosaur to be his guitar, hauled the stepstool out of th bathroom to serve as a stage, and then stood there tapping his brow. “Sing it, babe!” I encouraged, but he sighed and ran across the room for a hug. “I can’t remember what it goes, Mama! I’ve got too much music in my head!”

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I'm writing my first novel, mothering three kids, and loving one husband. I blog because I'm too loquacious for my own good. My verbal overflow ends up here. My life story is on top and 11 years of archives are below. If you have a few words to spare, I'd love to hear from you - drop me a comment!